Abstract
Nowaday special attention is being paid to the conservation of all species or ecosystmes of sites for public projects. Many environmental conservation policies and projects in Japan emphasize the coexistence of man with nature and close contact with nature. The objectives of this study was to investigate policies and projects for the creation of areas for the close contact with nature in Japan, to characterize change of techniques for the space creation over times, and to classify those policies and projects implemented by many government agencies. This study was mainly carried out by literature survey of laws, policies and projects related to environmental conservation pertinent to national scale. Major findings of this study can be summarized as follows: First, two most significant turning points for the environmental conservation in Japan were the establishment of the Office of Environmental in 1971 and the enactment of many laws influenced by the awareness of global environmental problems since 1990. Second, polices and projects for the creation of areas for the close contact with nature started in 1960s by the Office of Forestry, and focused on planting and development of simple facilities in forests. And the conservation of natural environment, ecological restoration and the expansion of urban green spaces, and the creation of biotopes and other areas for the close contact with nature in urban areas were the major characteristics of environmental conservation in Japan during 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, respectively.